Epidemiology of thermal hand injury in adults

Abstract

Thermal injury to the hand (TIH) is one of the most common burn injuries among adults, including the consequences of exposure to domestic, industrial and military thermal damaging factors. The study of the epidemiological indicators of TIH is important for a realistic assessment of the economic burden on non-surgical and surgical treatment of TIH and its consequences, as well as the indirect economic costs of the rehabilitation of patients who had TIH. The aim of the research. To analyze the results of epidemiological studies of TIH carried out in Russia and abroad and to update current knowledge of the frequency of occurrence of TIH among adults. Material and methods. We have analyzed domestic and foreign epidemiological studies published in the eLibrary, Google Scholar, PubMed, Springer, Scopus, Elsevir, Oxford Press, Clinical Case, Cochrane databases. Th e depth of research is 10 years (2011-2021). Th e full-text articles in Russian and English have been analyzed, including: original articles, thematic and system reviews, and Cocrane reviews. Results. Th e valuation of the results of the epidemiological studies of TIH among adults is diffi cult due to the lack of a consistent approach to the design and duration of the previous studies. Besides, studies analyzed included not only TIH, but also thermal injuries of the upper limbs in general. It has been done this way due to the lack of consistent approaches to the classification of TIH. Th e incidence of TIH varied from 0.34 % to 79 % in the world, the average incidence was 32.9 %. Conclusion. Th e review indicates that the results of domestic epidemiological studies of TIH differ significantly from the results of foreign research.